University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing graduate Marty Gebhart, DNP, NP, was recently able to experience the thrill of being published and making a podium presentation for the first time in her professional career.Gebhart, who earned her Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the School in spring 2015, had her DNP scholarly project work “How do patient-perceived determinant influence the decision-making process to accept or decline preimplantation genetic screening?” published in the prestigious, peer-reviewed medical journal Fertility & Sterility. Gebhart, who is a full-time nurse practitioner (NP) at Mississippi Reproductive Medicine in Flowood, Miss., also gave a podium presentation about her DNP scholarly project at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) annual conference in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 20.
“This is just the beginning of many lifelong contributions to women’s health nursing for Dr. Gebhart,” said Aimee Holland, DNP, WHNP-BC, FNP-C, Assistant Professor, Director of Graduate Clinical Program Progression and Gebhart’s DNP Scholarly Project Chair. “Dr. Gebhart was an ideal DNP Program student and graduate to work with. She truly reflects each of the School of Nursing’s core values.”
The basis of Gebhart's scholarly project was to determine what factors impact an in vitro fertilization (IVF) patient's decision-making process regarding whether or not to have preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) performed on their embryo(s). The project helped determine the factors that most impact the decision to accept or decline PGS, including, social support from family and friends, the additional cost associated with PGS and the influence of the clinician.
With this understanding, the clinician was identified as a determinant in the decision-making process, which stresses the importance of adequate education and counseling for any patient considering PGS. In turn, this stresses the importance of the provider as an educator.
Gebhart, the 2015 recipient of both the Nursing Chapter of the UAB National Alumni Society's DNP Award for Student Excellence and the School of Nursing Outstanding DNP Student Award, has also made appearences on a local television station and written articles for her local newspaper about infertility.
